Military Force Term Paper by Metro
A discussion on when, if ever, is the use of military force is justified
# 150392
| 1,037 words
| 5 sources
| MLA
| 2012
| 
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Description:
This paper discusses how the use of military force/going to war can in some cases be justified so long as it adheres to certain requirements included in the just war theory. It contends that by looking at the positive and negative reasons for the use of military force, as well as looking through history, that the avoidance of war is often impossible due to the ramifications it would result in. The paper further argues that nevertheless, military force should be a last resort because a "just war" is a near impossible thing to reach. Despite this, when at war nations should strive to follow/comply with not only many of the Just War Theory principles, but also with other conditions, for human life is precious, and war on nearly every level is a threat to both innocent and guilty alike.
From the Paper:
"It is clear that there are several reasons for using military force that would seem justified, including reasons not mentioned above, but what about the negative reasons for going into a "just war"? It has often been argued that no war can be justified because there is no referee to decide who is acting justly; both parties at war will have conflicting opinions and there will often be conflicting just reasons for their use of military force, but who is to decide which is more just? Another argument is that modern warfare makes a "just war" impossible to be undertaken due to weapons such as nuclear bombs and other such large scale offensive weapons; the chances of not harming civilians becomes near impossible, thus going against the Just War Theory. Anderson and Taylor estimate that "of all the victims of war, 90% are civilian, half of those children." If such statistics are correct, then surely the possibility of using military force/going to war could never be justified. We need only look at the atomic bombs affect on Hiroshima in WWII, the affects of napalm on innocent children in Vietnam, and the bombing of innocent civilians in failed attacks on building believed to have weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, to see the injustice of these wars and the effects on the innocent; has there ever been a just war? Could there ever be one? "Sample of Sources Used:
- Anderson, Margaret L & Taylor, Howard F. Sociology - Understanding a Diverse Society. Thomas Wadsworth, 4th edition, 2006.
- Langston, Thomas F. Lyndon Baines Johnson. CQ Press, 2002.
- Rachels, James & Stuart. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. McGraw-Hill, 6th edition, 2010.
- Regan, Richard J. Just War - Principles and Cases. The Catholic University of American Press, 1996.
- Rosen, Michael & Wolff, Jonathan. Political Thought. Oxford University Press, 1999.
Cite this Term Paper:
APA Format
Military Force (2012, February 09)
Retrieved June 05, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/term-paper/military-force-150392/
MLA Format
"Military Force" 09 February 2012.
Web. 05 June. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/term-paper/military-force-150392/>